Consultation on proposed changes to bus routes in the Isle of Dogs Consultation Report July 2016 1 Consultation on proposed changes to bus routes in the Isle of Dogs Consultation Report 2 Contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2 2 The consultation ............................................................................................................. 3 3 Responses from members of the public ......................................................................... 4 4 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders ............................................ 18 Appendix A – Consultation materials .................................................................................. 25 Appendix B – Leaflet distribution area ................................................................................ 32 Appendix C – All issues raised ............................................................................................ 34 Appendix D – List of stakeholders consulted ...................................................................... 43 1 1 Introduction We recently consulted stakeholders and the public about our proposals to change routes 108, 135, 277, D3, D7 and D8. The consultation took place between 8 February and 20 March 2016. This report explains the background to the proposal, the consultation and summarises the responses received. 1.1. Our proposals London is growing. By 2021 London’s population is predicted to be over 9 million, with forecasts that there will be around 170,000 new jobs created. The Isle of Dogs, Bow and Stratford are places where this growth is expected to be particularly noticeable. Lots of new housing and other developments (like the new Bow School) can already been seen. Already areas like Canary Wharf and Stratford are expanding and changing - with new housing, new offices and further job opportunities. The Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) will open in 2019 opening up new travel opportunities. The bus network needs to reflect and respond to these changes. We have reviewed bus routes serving Canary Wharf, the Isle of Dogs and Bow, to make sure that services can match future travel demand in the best way possible. We’re proposing changes to the following bus routes: 108 would be rerouted via route D8 between All Saints and Bow roundabout and at Stratford 135 would be rerouted to serve more of the Isle of Dogs 277 would be rerouted to Crossharbour and no longer serve Leamouth D3 would be rerouted via route 277 to Leamouth and no longer serve Crossharbour D7 would run less frequently D8 would be rerouted via route 108 between Blackwall Tunnel and Bow roundabout and at Stratford We want to ensure that the bus network meets demand, both now and in the future. In reviewing the bus network, we’ve looked at local travel patterns and considered the relative impacts of other wider developments. In proposing the schemes below, we have sought to achieve the following objectives: Provide a bus network that can be operated reliably Provide a network that has sufficient capacity at the busiest point at the busiest times but also builds in additional capacity on those corridors where we anticipate growth in demand. In particular we have sought to remove single deck bus services from the Isle of Dogs Provide new direct connections where possible Minimise disruption to existing passengers Provide enhancements to the bus network in a cost effective way Depending on the outcome of this consultation we would like to progress with our proposals in September 2016. 2 2 The consultation The consultation was designed to enable us to understand local opinion about the proposed changes to routes 108, 135, 277, D3, D7 and D8. The potential outcomes of the consultation are: We decide the consultation raises no issues that should prevent us from proceeding with the scheme as originally planned We modify the scheme in response to issues raised in consultation We abandon the scheme as a result of issues raised in the consultation. 2.1Consultation objectives The objectives of the consultation were: To give stakeholders and the public easily-understandable information about the proposals and allow them to respond To understand the level of support or opposition for the change To understand any issues that might affect the proposal of which we were not previously aware To understand concerns and objections To allow respondents to make alternative suggestions. 2.2 Who we consulted The consultation intended to seek the views of local residents, current users of the impacted bus routes, and those who might potentially use the altered services. We also consulted stakeholders including the affected Councils, traffic police, London TravelWatch, Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, ward councillors and local interest groups. A list of the stakeholders we consulted is shown in Appendix D and a summary of their responses is given in Section 4. 2.3 Consultation materials, distribution and publicity The consultation was published online. A dedicated web page explained the background to the proposal. We invited people to respond by answering five specific questions, each with a free text area for comments. We raised awareness of the consultation by sending an email to key stakeholders, and to registered Oyster Card holders who have used routes involved in the consultation. A press release advertising the consultation was also sent to local media. We delivered a leaflet to approximately 40,710 local households and businesses on the Isle of Dogs and within a 400 metre radius of the 108 and D8 routes from Chrisp Street to Stratford. The leaflet distribution area can be found at Appendix B. Leaflets were also distributed during public drop-in sessions. We advertised the consultation with posters at bus stops. Where space permitted, posters were placed at bus stops and shelters along the routes affected by the proposals. Copies of all consultation materials can be found at Appendix A. People were invited to respond to the consultation using a variety of methods. These were via the online questionnaire, by email to [email protected], in writing via our freepost address, or on completion of a feedback form during one of our public drop-in sessions. 3 2.4 Meetings and drop in-sessions We met on 24 February 2016 with Councillors Peter Golds (Island Gardens ward), Andrew Wood (Canary Wharf ward) and Dave Chesterton (Blackwall & Cubitt Town ward) from Tower Hamlets Council to provide background information on the proposals and rationale for the changes. We held four public drop-in sessions during the consultation period which enabled us to hand out leaflets, answer queries and encourage people to comment. Feedback forms were also available for those wishing to comment in writing. The drop-in sessions took place as follows: Chrisp Street Idea Store – 1 March 2016 (1400 to 1900) Cubitt Town Library – 10 March 2016 (1400 to 1900) Dockland Community Organisation – 11 March 2016 (1230 –1430) Isle of Dogs 50+ forum – 17 March 2016 (1000 – 1130) 3 Responses from members of the public Overall we received 530 responses from members of the public and 11 responses from stakeholders. We received one petition organised through change.org with 1695 signatories. A second paper based petition, organised by Healthy Island Partnership (Four GP practices based on the Isle of Dogs), had 700 signatures. The petitions sought signatures against our proposals to remove route D3 from Spindrift Avenue: as the service is the only direct link from the Island to the Royal London Hospital and the only route to also serve Spindrift Avenue. We asked members of the public how they found out about the consultation. Figure 3.1 shows the results. The majority, 202 respondents (37 per cent), received our email while 42 (8 per cent) received our leaflet and 66 (12 per cent) found out through other means. Figure 3.1 How did you hear about this consultation? 250 200 150 100 50 0 Received Received Read Saw it on Other Not Social Drop-in an email a letter about in the TfL (please Answere media session from TfL from TfL the press website specify) d % 37% 8% 1% 8% 16% 0% 12% 19% Respondents 202425418616687 4 There were a total of 403 respondents who provided their postcode, The distribution of respondents across London is shown in Figure 3.2. Along with Table 3.1 it is possible to see the highest concentration of responses is in the borough of Tower Hamlets, and in particular, around the Isle of Dogs area and the Chrisp Street / Campbell Road corridor. Table 3.1 Borough Responses Tower Hamlets 341 Greenwich 20 Newham 12 Redbridge 6 Hackney 5 Lewisham 4 Bromley 2 Bexley 2 Barnet 1 Enfield 1 Barking and Dagenham 1 Kingston upon Thames 1 Croydon 1 Wandsworth 1 Camden 1 Brent 1 Islington 1 Waltham Forest 1 Ealing 1 5 Figure 3.2 6 3.1 Public consultation results To help understand more about those who replied and their thoughts on the routes and proposals, we asked a number of questions; We asked respondents what they thought about our proposals to change routes 108 and D8. Figure 3.3 What do you think about our proposals to change routes 108 and D8? 250 200 150 100 50 0 Strongly Strongly Not Agree Disagree Neutral agree Disagree Answered % 10% 11% 5% 18% 44% 13% Respondents 52 57 24 93 235 69 Figure 3.3 shows the response to question one, which asked respondents their thoughts on our proposal to change where routes 108 and D8 run between All Saints